To Move The Stars
by Sev's Girl
Summary: Not so much a chapter as an explanation. Please read it, and please don't send me email trying to change things. Go and read my other story instead. :)
1. The Newest Gryffindor

bNOTE:/b If you are coming to this story for the first time, please go to the final chapter - An Apology and an Explanation - first.  
Chapter 1: The Newest Gryffindor  
  
Disclaimer: Much as I wish I could say otherwise, I don't own any of the characters here except for Seona MacGinty. They are owned by the wonderful JK Rowling and I'm just borrowing them for a bit of fun.  
  
Author's Note: Well, this is my first attempt at a fic, so please please give me your thoughts on this. I need the encouragement.  
  
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It had been such a dull afternoon. "Should be a law against rainy Sundays," came from a boy with flaming red hair. He was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, a wizard chess board set up on the rug in front of him. His opponent, a slender boy with messy black hair and spectacles, sighed.  
  
"Bet it'll clear up just in time for classes to start tomorrow, Ron." He stared at the board thoughtfully, then moved one of his bishops to take Ron's pawn. Glancing up from the game, he saw other members of his house lounging around the common room trying to make the best of the miserable weather.  
  
A noise behind him caused him to turn, along with most of the other occupants of the room. Professor McGonagall, Head of their house, stood at the entrance to the room. Beside her was a strange girl who was wearing the same school robes as the rest of them. Before anyone could say anything, the Professor cleared her throat. "Attention, all of you. This is Seona MacGinty and she is joining us from Ensbrook school in Australia. She will be in this house, so I trust you will all make her welcome."  
  
The girl, Seona, smiled and gave a little bow. "I'm very pleased to meet you all." Her voice was full of amusement and good humour, and her accent was not one that anyone in the room could place. If it hadn't been for McGonagall telling them she was from Australia, no one would have figured it out. As the Professor left, everyone clustered around the newcomer and began bombarding her with questions.  
  
"When did you get here?"  
  
"Why did you change schools in the middle of the term?"  
  
"How'd you get put in Gryffindor?"  
  
"What's Australia like?"  
  
"What colour underwear have you got on?" Ron leaned over and gave the speaker of this question, a boy with the same flaming red locks, a punch in the arm.  
  
Laughing, Seona climbed onto one of the tables and held up her hands. "Okay, okay, I'll answer your questions in turn. I got here this morning, but I've been in England since Thursday, buying my things. I changed schools because of a little incident with an exploding spell that got out of hand and took out one of the towers." There was scattered applause at this, and some laughter. "I had a meeting with the Headmaster this morning, and he held a private little sorting ceremony with that weird hat, and it said I'm to go here."  
  
She grinned and sank down to sit cross-legged on the table. "Much better. Now, Australia's not that much different to here. Not as green, alternates between being as wet as this and hot enough to melt rock, and people don't sound as good. And I'm not even going to dignify that last question with a response." She attempted to glare at the boy, but everyone could see her eyes dancing with laughter.  
  
Undaunted, the boy stepped up and held out his hand. "I'm George Weasley. This is my brother Fred," he pointed to the boy beside him, who was the spitting image of him. "Oh, and our younger brother Ron, and sister Ginny." He pointed to the other members of his family, all distinguished by their bright red hair. Ron smiled, and indicated the dark-haired boy beside him. "These are my friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger." He turned to indicate the girl who had moved up to stand beside him.  
  
As if this had opened the floodgates, everyone began stepping up and introducing themselves until Seona's head was spinning with the effort of remembering names and faces. Eventually, someone asked what year she was in. "Well, this is my sixth year. Back home, we're actually in the middle of the school year, but Dumbledore suggested that I start at the same level as the rest of you sixth years because there are some differences in the way stuff was taught. Turns out I'm ahead of you in some areas, but behind in others." She frowned. "He didn't tell me which ones though. Who of you here's is a sixth year?" A number of hands were raised and she nodded. "Great. Now, anyone know where I'm sleeping?"  
  
"I'll show you." The girl stepped forward and Seona thought for a moment before she put a name to it. Hermione. "You must be in the same room as me, because I don't think any of the other dorms have a spare bed in them." No one seemed inclined to refute this statement, so she followed Hermione up the stairs and into the dormitory.  
  
"Oh! How marvellous!" Seona stood at the door and looked around. The room was simply furnished, but held six four-poster beds with a nightstand beside each one.  
  
Hermione pointed to the bed closest to the door. "That will be yours. It's next to mine." She smiled. "You can hang around with me and Ron and Harry if you like."  
  
"Is he the same Harry Potter who." Her voice trailed off as Hermione nodded. "Cool!" She grinned and they made their way back down the stairs to the common room so she could continue to get acquainted with her fellow house members. 


	2. A Strange New Student

Chapter 2: A Strange New Student  
  
  
  
Authors Note: This chapter has given me a phenomenal amount of trouble, trying to keep Snape in character. Please, let me know how I did. I strive for improvement and thrive on feedback.  
  
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The Hogwarts Potions Master, Severus Snape, stalked down the corridor to the dungeon where he held his classes. He rounded the final corner to find his three least favourite students ahead of him, chattering to a forth person who Snape didn't recognise. Must be the new student he had been told about, he decided. With a frown, he realised that they were talking about him.  
  
"If you do even the tiniest thing wrong, he'll take points off Gryffindor!" The Weasley boy was shaking his head in disgust as he made this announcement.  
  
"Even if you don't do anything wrong, Snape'll take points off just because you're in Gryffindor." Potter. Easily the most annoying student in the whole damn school.  
  
"What makes it even worse is that we have Potions with Slytherin. Snape hardly ever takes points from them, no matter what." That was Granger. Bright girl. Shame she had to be so annoying.  
  
"Come on, guys, he can't be that bad." The new girl spoke now, sounding like she was greatly amused by all their warnings. She paused, then added curiously, "Can he?" There was another pause while they all looked at each other, then all four dissolved into giggles.  
  
This was ridiculous. Scowling, he strode forward until he drew level with them. All four choked back their laughter as they noticed him, three with signs of shock and terror on their faces and the forth with curious interest as she looked at him.  
  
"Well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I see that you three have taken it upon yourselves to share you opinions with your new friend." He eyed them angrily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Each." Amid horrified gasps, he turned his attention to his newest student. "As for you, I trust I will not have any added trouble from you. I've seen your records, and it appears this subject is one of your strengths. Don't spoil that by giving me more reason to interrupt my teaching."  
  
The girl stepped forward and gave him a slight bow, a small smile hovering at the corner of her mouth. "I assure you Professor, I shall try not to be a bother." Her voice was calm and quiet, with a self-possession that puzzled Snape. Surely she had been told about his temper? Slightly taken aback, he growled at them all to get inside and take their seats and stalked into the classroom after them.  
  
Over the course of the lesson, Snape had plenty of opportunity to observe his new charge. She was a small, lightly built girl, easily half a head shorter than any of her classmates. A cascade of long auburn hair fell to her waist, although she had twisted it into a knot at her neck to prevent it getting in her way while she worked. And she worked well, he was quietly surprised to notice. Every time he passed on his rounds, the contents of her cauldron seemed to be progressing as they should.  
  
The only thing he found to reprimand her over was when she caught young Malfoy watching her with open admiration. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she picked up the hazel twig from her desk and said calmly, "If you don't put your eyes back where they belong, I'm going to poke them out with this." While he secretly felt like applauding - really, it was quite disgusting the way that boy was looking at her - there were limits.  
  
"Miss MacGinty, that is quite enough. Five points from Gryffindor for threatening your classmate. Now return to your work." She glanced at him in silent reproach, but bent back over her books while Malfoy smirked unpleasantly at her.  
  
The class went surprisingly smoothly, although they were working on a potion so simple that even Longbottom would be hard pressed to mess it up, Snape mused to himself as he announced the end of class and his students rose and scurried from the room. It took him a few moments to realise that not all had left, however: a pair of large green eyes were regarding him from the other side of his desk. "Yes, Miss MacGinty?" he said quietly.  
  
"If you have a moment, Professor, would you mind taking a look at something for me? It's a recipe I was working on at home. I can't get it to work right." She held out a piece of parchment covered in flowing handwriting.  
  
"You work on potions recipes in your spare time?" He spoke in his coldest tone, curious to see how much it would take to unsettle this strange girl.  
  
She shrugged. "I was bored. And I always enjoyed a challenge." She met his eyes boldly, as if she was challenging him in return. He rose to the bait.  
  
"And you just happened to have this with you today?"  
  
"Oh, no, it was by design. I considered seeking you out before the class, but I decided it might be better if you were worth your weight as a potions professor first. Merlin only knows, the chap at my other school wasn't worth the air he breathed. I always got the feeling that he'd rather teach anything but potions."  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "And you believe I'm worthy of helping you with your problem?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm, his lips twisted in a sneer.  
  
"I believe it's going to be a pleasure to learn from someone who actually deserves the title of Potions Master," she replied blandly.  
  
Now he sneered openly, "You think flattery is going to get you anywhere?"  
  
Surprisingly, she laughed. "That depends where I'm trying to get, Professor. I doubt it's going to get me any better marks, but the day I have to flatter my potions teacher just to get good marks is the day I'll swallow my wand whole. Right now though, I'm just trying to get you to have a look at my problem and maybe even offer some advice."  
  
The ghost of a rare smile touched Snape's lips and he took the parchment from her and scanned it briefly. His eyes widened and he looked again. The little chit had actually been attempting to make a potion of her own devising! He was willing to bet his position as an expert in this field that this didn't come from any book. Frowning, he looked at the list of ingredients and their quantities. "Have you considered adding less wormwood, but adding a bit of griffon hair instead? It might balance this mix better."  
  
She leaned over and looked at the list he held, then her eyes and mouth both widened in surprise. With a sigh, she smiled ruefully at him. "I guess I've looked at it for too long and stopped seeing the obvious," she said. "Thank you, Professor. I'll not take up any more of your time." She took the list back and slipped it into one of her books, nodded to him and turned to go.  
  
It had been a while since anyone had possessed either the courage or the capability of matching wits with him, Snape thought to himself. Part of him also wondered why he had let her get away with it, but he was forced to admit that he had actually enjoyed their verbal fencing match. Reaching an abrupt decision, he raised his voice just as she reached the door. "Miss MacGinty?" She turned, a puzzled expression on her face. "If you encounter any other difficulties, please do not hesitate to ask me. I'd hate to see you blow up any of the school here." He was rewarded with a blush and a dazzling smile, then she was gone.  
  
With a sigh, he stood and gathered his things together in preparation for his next class. 


	3. Settling In

Chapter 3: Settling In  
  
Authors Note: Sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner. Blame my computer. I always do. *grin*  
  
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Seona's first week at Hogwarts went by in dazed sort of blur. Most of her time, both in and out of classes, was spent with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The four were rapidly becoming an established 'set' and it was soon considered odd to see any of them wandering around without the company of the other three.  
  
One of her favourite classes was going to be Care of Magical Creatures, she decided. The teacher, an enormous man named Hagrid, was both pleasant and amusing and clearly cared deeply for the creatures he taught them about. Her interest increased when her friends told her about the stranger than usual animals Hagrid had been known to take in a try to either rear or teach them about. She was also delighted with his huge hound, Fang, who wondered over during one of their lessons and sat beside her. Slightly taken aback by the presence of a dog that was over half her height and easily three or four times her bulk, she reached out and scratched him behind the ears. By the end of the lesson she was sitting with her arm around his neck and hoping that he wouldn't slobber on her robes too much.  
  
Charms and Transfiguration both gave her some trouble, since she had learned a completely different set of rules and skills at her old school to those taught at Hogwarts. Hermione, top of the class in both subjects, had already announced her intention to help. Seona smiled inwardly as she thought of it. She was willing to bet a handful of Galleons that 'Mione would grow up to become a teacher.  
  
Then, of course, there was Potions. Her inner smile found its way onto her lips as she thought of what would definitely be her favourite subject. It was clear that none of her housemates were keen on either the subject or its professor... or maybe they weren't keen on the subject because of its professor? Yes, that was most likely. Certainly, Professor Snape was not likely to endear himself to Gryffindors with his evident dislike for them. But he hadn't seemed to extend that dislike to her when she had approached him for help. Not after she had stood up to his challenge. In fact, she felt that he'd been almost impressed, both with the work she had done and the fact that she had stood up to him.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Seona?" Harry's voice brought her out of her musings and back to Gryffindor common room where she was sitting in front of the fireplace with her friends.  
  
Smiling, she replied calmly, "I think I'm going to enjoy being at Hogwarts. There's a lot of very interesting people here." She blinked a few times, then gave herself a mental shake. There was no way she was prepared to share her thoughts on Snape with any of her friends, not by a long shot. Glancing at the boy sitting on the other side of her, she asked brightly, "Chess, Ron?"  
  
Ron looked up with a grin. "Sure. We playing for stakes?" He reached over to pull the side table around in front of the chairs they sat on and began to set up the chess board that lived in the tables drawer.  
  
Seona snorted in disgust. "Not on your life, boyo. I still owe you too much from the last game." She received a good natured grin in reply and they settled in for an evening of wizard chess.  
  
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It was almost a month before Seona decided to approach Snape again. He hadn't been particularly different in class, although sometimes she thought she caught a hint of approval in his attitude when he inspected her work. Certainly, he didn't seem to be as quick to take points from her as from other members of her house. Her friends had noticed and commented on it, but she just laughed and joked that he was probably storing up all his ire to take out on her in a really spectacular way at an inconvenient time, like just before exams.  
  
Now, she was presented with the perfect opportunity: some of their work had been handed back and one of her assignments was graded rather lower than the others. Admittedly, she had thrown it together in about fifteen minutes and so wasn't especially surprised, but she whispered to her friends as the lesson drew to a close that she wanted to question the Potions Master about it. Fearfully, they first tried to dissuade her and then offered to stay with her as moral support, but she shook her head.  
  
"No, this is something I have to deal with," she told them. "I'll meet you back in the common room." With resigned sighs and quiet good luck wishes, they agreed and gathered their things and left.  
  
Professor Snape had returned to his desk by this time and had pulled a stack of parchment towards him, but he looked up and raised an eyebrow in a silent question as she rose and headed over to him. "Have you come about that essay on the uses of bats fur?" he asked quietly when she reached him.  
  
Blushing slightly, she shook her head. "No Professor, although I admit that it wasn't a good piece of work. I'm afraid I left it until the absolute last minute, and just put down what I could recall from memory." He frowned, his dark eyes watching her intently, and suddenly she wondered if she would have the nerve to ask him anything when he was obviously displeased with her.  
  
What have you got to lose? she scolded herself. You can't do this without his help anyway. Steeling herself, she met his gaze steadily. "I actually came to ask if you had time to discuss a project I had in mind." He merely sat and watched her, revealing nothing. Nervous, and embarrassed by her nervousness, she dropped her eyes to the desk. His hands were folded on top of the papers he had been preparing to mark. Long, slender hands, she noted. Perfectly suited to the manipulation of the delicate ingredients that went into his potions.  
  
Then it hit her that they were also relaxed. She called to mind the times she had noticed his hands in class, and remembered that the tendons had always stood out sharply under his skin. Come to think of it, he always held himself taught. Probably in at least a token effort to bottle his anger, she thought, then banished the uncharitable thought quickly. The important thing was that now he was relaxed and attentive. Maybe this would work after all.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You've seen both my records and my work. You know that this is a subject I'm good at. Even when I throw together an assignment at the last minute, I still do passably well." She risked a look at his face and saw the barest flicker of acknowledgment, although whether it was for her ability or her attempt at humour she wasn't sure. "In case you hadn't noticed though, it's also a subject that I have a great deal of interest in. So I wondered..." She hesitated, then finished in a rush: "I wondered if you would consider an informal apprenticeship of sorts. I could help you with your own research and learn more than we cover in class, and you could help me perfect my techniques." She dropped her gaze again, feeling her face flush now that she had finally said it.  
  
Of course, this meant that she was watching his hands again. They were very still on the desk, and now they had resumed their usual tautness. Seona's heart plummeted. He would say no. He would be scornful, and rightly so. Why would he want the help of a mere slip of a girl, and one not even in his own house at that? She didn't notice as his hands relaxed again and spread themselves flat on the desks.  
  
"What I am working on at the moment is beyond even your capabilities, Miss MacGinty, which I do admit are considerable." His voice was soft and, if not warm, at least it didn't hold the mocking derision she had expected. She looked up at him, but his face was as unreadable as always. "Perhaps a compromise? A time, once a week, say, for some extra work? I'm sure in your private research you have come across some things you would like to try."  
  
It was all Seona could do not to throw her arms around him, but even in her excitement there was a niggling voice at the back of her mind that suggested this would be a bad move. Instead she settled for grinning broadly at him. "Thank you so much, Professor! I thought that the apprenticeship thing was a bit much to hope for, but I figured that if I didn't aim high I'd always wonder what would have happened if I'd had the nerve to ask."  
  
Now there was the faintest glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "Indeed. Perhaps Saturday evening to start with? That will give you a few days to decide what you want to try first, and give me a chance to blast-proof this room."  
  
The words were delivered in such a bland tone that she would have been trying to search them for a hidden meaning if she hadn't seen that slight softening of his gaze. As it was, she merely chuckled. "That one will haunt me for the rest of my days, won't it Professor? Ah, well, my own fault I guess." With a happy sigh, she gathered her things together. "Thank you again, Professor Snape. I'll leave you to get on with your grading now." With a final smile, she left the classroom and began heading back up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
Now she just had to find some way to tell her friends how she planned to spend Saturday evening... 


	4. A Potions Lesson

Chapter 4: A Potions Lesson  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I hate viruses! I got one, then my computer obviously felt left out cos it got one too. *grumble* If some of this chapter seems slightly disjointed, I offer my apologies since it is a retyping of work that disappeared in the recent upheavals of my hard drive. Things always sound less coherent the second time around.  
  
Oh, and at the end is a tribute to the wonderful people who have reviewed me so far.  
  
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Snape stalked down the dim corridor to the dungeons, wondering why he had agreed to give that MacGinty girl extra tuition. As if he didn't have enough to worry about, he grumbled to himself. Still, he was committed now, so he may as well make the best of it. As he unlocked the door to the room, hurried footsteps behind him announced the arrival of his student. He turned to see her skid to a stop beside him, a relieved smile on her face.  
  
"Oh good, I'm not late." She heaved an exasperated sigh. "I'd strangle Peeves if it wasn't for the fact he's already dead." Rolling her eyes, she shifted her stack of books into a more comfortable position and then cocked her head at him. "Are we going to have the session out here?"  
  
Shaking his head in bemusement, he pushed the door open and gestured for her to precede him. Following her into the room, he pulled out his wand and muttered the charm to ignite the torches and then placed it on the desk. Sitting, he folded his hands in front of him. "Well, I'm assuming you have decided what you wish to work on first?"  
  
Nodding, the girl deposited her books on his desk - his desk! He choked back an expression of annoyance - and opened one at a bookmark. Taking it from her, he peered at the writing for a moment and then glanced at her sharply. "This is a very strong sleeping potion. Why would you be interested in this?"  
  
She had the grace to look slightly sheepish as she replied, "I have a real difficulty getting to sleep most nights. I've tried sleeping potions and charms and such, but I'm still only getting two or three hours a night. I thought that maybe if I could make something like this, I might be able to do something about it."  
  
Frowning slightly, he scanned the list of ingredients required. "Well, I can see why you wouldn't have been able to try this yourself... The only reason I can get most of these things myself is because of my position here." He shot her a dark look, then added, "Is this why you were so eager to work with me?" When she nodded, a slight flush creeping into her cheeks, he frowned. Why was the girl so quiet and submissive?  
  
His silent question was not so much answered as added to a moment later when she looked up at him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Of course," she said, "I could be lying. It could just be your utterly charming and winsome personality."  
  
For an instant, anger bubbled up within him at the sheer impertinence of her words. Then he noticed her eyes watching him carefully and realised that she knew full well what saying something like that to him was likely to get her, and yet still had the courage to push him just to see what reaction she would get. And, he realised, he didn't really want to punish her for it. She didn't deserve to be punished for seeing him as a person, especially since the only other person who was willing to extend him that courtesy was Albus Dumbledore.  
  
Keeping his voice carefully neutral, he replied, "Really? I thought it was so you could learn how to poison any professors who don't give you full marks."  
  
There was a pause, then her hands flew to her mouth in an effort to stifle her laughter. "Now that, Professor, is the last thing I would have expected to hear from you!" she gasped. Bringing herself under control with obvious effort, she added slyly, "Of course now that you mention it... But perhaps I'll allow you to remain exempt in return for teaching me."  
  
Dipping his head in a mocking parody of a bow, Snape murmured blandly, "So kind of you." Rising, he unlocked his storage cupboard and began removing boxes and bottles so they could begin work.  
  
  
  
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Reviewers Tribute (which may become a permanent feature):  
  
Many thanks go to:  
  
Melanie C (OK, I did, eventually *grin* and I'm not sure if it will turn into a romance or not... depends how they get along), Mykerinos, Ms. Snape (yeah, I'm trying to be really conscious of that. Thanks.), Cosette Valjean (me too, and I'll be more than happy to give him a hug... ooh... snape huggles... *happy sigh*), Jade, Star-shine (OK, I won't), Zidler'sChick, Kazza  
  
Thanks also to anyone else who ready my ramblings but couldn't be bothered reviewing, but not as much thanks as to the wonderful people who take the time to write to me. *grin* 


	5. Midnight Reflections

Chapter 5: Midnight Reflections  
  
  
  
Woohoo! Two chapters in a day! Just don't get too used to it, OK?  
  
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It had taken that entire first lesson just to prepare all of the ingredients necessary. They had then been carefully stored in jars and put away for the following week when the actual potion had been made. Successfully. Seona was pleased about that, but even more pleased that Professor Snape had then suggested teaching her the much harder task of brewing the antidote for that potion. After all, he had said, one never knew when it would be necessary to wake someone up before the potion had time to wear off.  
  
Sometimes she suspected Professor Snape of having a much more active sense of humour than he let on.  
  
It was amazing how much she was enjoying those Saturday evening potions lessons, she mused. Certainly, all her friends were amazed that she always returned smiling and in high spirits. Hermione was the only one who came even close to understanding, and that was only because she shared the love of learning. Even she couldn't imagine voluntarily spending time with Snape. Harry and Ron just shuddered and the thought and looked at her strangely when she told them that she was enjoying it and that no, it wasn't some prolonged detention that they hadn't been told about.  
  
Which was understandable, since however accepting and helpful the Potions Master was during those private sessions he hadn't changed one iota when it came to the real classes. He was irritable, sarcastic, and as ready as ever to take points from any Gryffindor he suspected of the least misdemeanour. Deciding early on that discretion was the better part of valour, she kept her head down and did her work and resisted the urge to dunk Draco Malfoy into his own cauldron.  
  
Now there was a little piece of dirt that was likely to come to a nasty end. Persistent, too. He seemed to think that she was put there expressly for him to ogle. She shivered slightly. He made her flesh crawl. Hardly surprising really, considering the things she'd heard about his family.  
  
Then again, she'd heard similar things about Snape, and he wasn't nearly so repellent. He had a brilliant, quick mind and wasn't afraid to use it. After the first couple of conversations she had with him, she realised that there was a hidden barb to almost all of the sarcastic rejoinders that he made over the course of a lesson. Sometimes it was all she could do to keep from laughing. That would have been a mistake though. He wasn't that forgiving.  
  
He'd been pleased when she had created the antidote correctly, too. She almost dared to hope that he was coming to genuinely respect her abilities. He had actually suggested that she might help him with something he was working on himself, since she was so aware that sometimes a fresh perspective could help. She grinned to herself. This was better than she could have hoped. This sort of opportunity had always been denied her at her old school, as had the guidance that she was now being given. Was it any wonder she had experimented a bit beyond herself and blown up a portion of the old building?  
  
She wondered how all her old friends were. Did they miss her? Silly question, of course. She received an owl from them at least once a week saying that they did and detailing the gossip (which they knew she hated) and the pranks they had been involved in (which they seemed to be getting in trouble for more often now that they no longer had such an innocent face to put on the front of them). She considered suggesting one or two of them to Fred and George, though. Those two were just as keen on making life interesting as she and her friends had been.  
  
Fred had asked her to the Yule Ball, too. She accepted, although she had no idea whether he was any good at dancing. He would have to learn quickly if he wasn't. She smiled. And if they weren't playing good music for dancing, she would just have to hijack their sound spells. At least the twins would probably help her with that.  
  
Did Snape dance?  
  
She shook her head. Where had that thought come from? He certainly wouldn't be likely to dance with her. Not in front of a school full of people to whom he was the ultimate in dark broodiness and anger. But he had incredible possession of his own body, that much was obvious from the way he moved. He'd probably either not be able to unbend enough to dance at all, she decided, or he'd be one of the best dancers never to let it show.  
  
Halloween in a few days, too. Which was going to mean a proliferation of pumpkin, inevitably. Pity. Hopefully there'd be alternatives.  
  
Realising that it was getting late, Seona reached out and opened the drawer in her bedside table. Drawing out a small bottle, she looked at it and sighed softly. She was certainly feeling better now that she was getting a reasonable amount of sleep each night. Ah well, time for the nightcap. Uncorking the bottle, she took a sip before re-corking it and replacing it in the drawer. As the now familiar fog filled her head, she wondered if Professor Snape ever had trouble sleeping.  
  
Rolling over, she settled into the deep and dreamless sleep of the potion dependant. 


	6. Trick or ... Trick?

Chapter 6: Trick or... Trick?  
  
  
  
Authors Note: Well, this ended up being a somewhat longer chapter than my previous offerings. Hope you don't think it's dragging on too much, but there was a lot that I wanted to do here. *grin* With any luck there'll be another chapter out before the weekend.  
  
Oh, and reviewers credits at the bottom again.  
  
Pronunciation Note: I had one email asking this question, and I figure that for every person who can be bothered to type a question there's at least a dozen who are thinking the same thing. So I state here:  
  
Seona is a Gaelic name, and is pronounced either SHOW-nah or Shorna (depending on how thick your accent is). It is in no way phonetic. :)  
  
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Severus Snape entered the Great Hall to find that the candles had been replaced by jack-o-lanterns and the tables were set with an even more festive fare than normal. The Halloween Feast. He'd been so absorbed in his work that he'd completely forgotten, although he vaguely remembered hearing some of the students talking about it. With a perfunctory nod to the rest of the staff, he sat and cast a cynical eye across the house tables.  
  
Slytherin, of course. Even from where he sat he could make out expressions of sly cunning on many of the faces as they talked with their housemates. Cunning, but not as much intelligence as he'd like, he reflected in disappointment.  
  
Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff... yes, yes. They all seemed to be enjoying the feast, not much else of interest there. He rarely did take much interest in either of those houses. Probably a leftover from his own Hogwarts days, he decided. The only houses that had mattered were his own Slytherin and rival Gryffindor.  
  
And wasn't that a house full of surprises! While it had attracted nuisances like Potter and Longbottom, it had also become the house of his new assistant. He ran his gaze along the Gryffindor table until he spotted Seona MacGinty sitting with her band of friends and general hangers-on. It was odd that he was becoming so used to thinking of her by her first name. Perhaps it was because she had already proven herself valuable to his work, even though he had only presented it to her during their last session. Certainly, he had decided to present her with some of the more complex aspects of it next time. It would be interesting to see what she made of it.  
  
"Severus, are you listening to a single thing I'm saying?" Blinking, he turned to see Professor McGonagall frowning irritably at him. She must have been talking to him, but he honestly couldn't remember noticing. Silently he cursed his inattentiveness.  
  
"No, Minerva, I wasn't." The words hung like icicles between them.  
  
The Gryffindor Head snorted. "I was trying to ask you if you thought it had been a significantly quieter year than previously." She raised one eyebrow significantly, indicating that she wasn't merely talking about the day-to- day affairs of the school.  
  
Snape returned a level gaze as he replied quietly, "Indeed. Makes you wonder if there's something significant being planned, doesn't it?"  
  
"You mean you don't know?" McGonagall's eyes widened slightly, but she remembered to keep her voice low. Not all of the faculty knew of Snape's former position as Dumbledore's spy among the Death Eaters, and he preferred to keep it that way. Luckily, so did everyone else who knew.  
  
In response, he merely shrugged. "How would I know anything now?" The ironic twist of his lips was not lost on the older woman, and she sniffed and turned away. Good. Leave him to eat his meal in peace.  
  
And it was growing more peaceful by the moment. He realised that many of the students were already wandering off, prepared to amuse themselves for the rest of the evening. He hadn't eaten much, but abruptly decided that he wasn't that hungry after all. Rising, he headed from the Hall and began to make his way back to his quarters in the dungeons.  
  
He hadn't even made it halfway there when he heard voices raised in a heated argument. Pausing, he made out the sound of soft sobbing, then identified another two voices: Draco Malfoy and Seona MacGinty.  
  
"Why should you care, MacGinty? She isn't even one of your precious Gryffindors! Why don't you just stay out of it and mind your own business?"  
  
"Because when I find you tormenting someone for the sheer joy of it, I choose to make it my business." Odd, there was a note to her voice that he had never heard before. With a start, Snape realised it was the first time he had heard her angry. The venom in her voice came close to something he would expect to hear from his own lips.  
  
"Why? She's just a mudblood." In contrast, Malfoy's voice sounded petty and arrogant. He obviously expected his opponent to back down, so the ringing slap that echoed down the corridor must have come as an even greater shock to him than it did to Snape. But that was noting compared to what he heard next:  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
A piercing scream split the air. In an instant, Snape had his wand out and had stepped around the corner and pointed it at the blonde Slytherin who was watching the girl thrash around on the stone floor in front of him.  
  
"Stupefy!" Snape spat the word out between clenched teeth. How, by all the powers, had the boy learned that curse? He turned his mind from the question as the curse died without the will of its caster focussed on it, leaving its victim a pathetic bundle on the floor. Having been on the receiving end of the Cruciatus curse often enough himself, he felt a stab of sympathy for the agony he knew she must be in.  
  
Looking around, he spotted another bundle on the far side of the corridor. He vaguely recognised her as a Ravenclaw first year, and apparently the object of Malfoy's amusement before Seona had found them.  
  
Seona? He shook his head. Enough time to worry about that detail later. Forcing himself to remain calm, he spoke to the girl. "Child, I need to you run and find the Headmaster quickly. Tell him to meet me in the hospital wing, and to send someone down here to take Mr Malfoy to my office and keep him there. Can you do that?" The girl, who had watched him with wide frightened eyes, nodded briefly and ran off still stifling sobs.  
  
Now he turned his attention to more important matters. Was there anything he could do for her now? Probably not. There was very little that could be done for a victim of the Cruciatus curse aside from fill them with painkillers. Frowning, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Can you hear me?" He hadn't spoken with that much gentleness in his voice for many years, but he knew how important it was to try and establish some sort of response.  
  
Green eyes, smudged and haunted by pain, were lifted to meet his. There was a flicker of recognition, which he was thankful for. "Severus?" The words were so soft he almost missed them, forced as they were from lips that were as sore as the rest of her undoubtedly was. Then her head sagged suddenly and he barely caught her in time as her body finally took pity on her and allowed her the release of unconsciousness.  
  
It would make it easier to transport her, anyway. No need to waste time with a stretcher. Scooping her into his arms, startled to find how light she was, he strode off towards the hospital wing with his black robes billowing behind him.  
  
Once at the hospital, he handed her over to Madame Pomfrey with a curt explanation of what had occurred. The plump witch gasp with horror when he mentioned the use of one of the Unforgivable Curses, then set about doing whatever she had to do to help the flayed nerve ending heal quickly and easily.  
  
Standing at the door to the ward, Snape was met a few moments later by Dumbledore. The old wizard looked as though he had run all the way from the Great Hall. "Is it true?" he asked. "Malfoy cast that curse on Miss MacGinty?" His eyes pleaded with Snape to tell him the stories he'd heard had been exaggerated.  
  
Snape nodded. "Yes. I will deal with him once I find out if there has been any lasting damage done. I..."  
  
He was interrupted by the reappearance of Madame Pomfrey, who cleared her throat to get their attention before speaking. Her face was the careful calm of someone who is feeling too much emotion to be able to express any of it, and her voice was almost expressionless. "It would appear that there has not been too much damage done, Professors. She was only under the curse for a short time, so she will wake sore and stiff and with some rather unpleasant memories, but that is all." She paused for a fraction of a second, then added hurriedly, "I also decided to see if there was any other spells affecting her, in case they had been duelling before you found them." A nod in Snape's direction indicated her meaning, then she continued, "There is an incredibly strong charm blocking part of her mind. I'm guessing it's a memory block, but it's stronger than any I've ever seen."  
  
"Can you remove it?" Dumbledore's voice was serious, his eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
"Well, yes, I suppose I could..." The witch nodded and began to turn away.  
  
Snape's hand on her arm stopped her. "No."  
  
Dumbledore stared at him for a moment, then simply asked, "Why not?"  
  
Feeling anger welling up inside him, Snape forced his voice to remain neutral. It had never done him any good, getting angry with Dumbledore. "Albus, when she wakes up she's going to have enough to deal with. There's the remnant of the physical pain, but more than that is the mental pain. The knowledge that someone had to completely at their mercy. That they had forced you to completely debase yourself before them. Trust me on this. I've... I've felt it often enough myself." He trailed off for a moment, struggling to push away the memories of his many sessions being tortured by Voldemort or one of his followers. Abruptly, his gaze refocussed and he stared at the Headmaster with all the determination he could muster. "Let her wake up, let her deal with all of that. Then tell her about the block. Let her decide what to do with it. Perhaps she'll even have some idea of why it's there or when it was put in."  
  
"A vain hope." The Headmaster smiled slightly. "Very well, Severus. Your suggestion has merit. We'll wait until she has recovered, then we shall deal with the block."  
  
Snape nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster," he replied formally. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and have a word with young Mr Malfoy." He turned on his heel and stalked back towards his office. Anyone who was still in the corridors shrank back at his approach to let him pass, but he barely noticed.  
  
In between the seething rage, two questions nagged at him. The first was one he had already asked: How had the boy learned one of the Unforgivable Curses? Surely Lucius hadn't been that stupid as to give a young upstart access to such a powerful spell? Well, he would soon find out.  
  
The second was a much more difficult question: Why, amongst all the anger and the worry, was the one thing that stuck in his memory the most the way that she had called him by his first name just before she passed out?  
  
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REVIEWERS TRIBUTE:  
  
Tabbycat2000 - Ah, be patient, my dear. All shall be revealed. :)  
  
Kawaii Phe chan - Perhaps, eventually.  
  
Skyfire - Don't worry, I don't intend them getting together for a while at least. I think he needs a friend more than a date. *grin* Come to think of it, so does she.  
  
And last, but definitely not least:  
  
Melanie C - Many thanks go to you, my number one reviewer! *hugs* So far you've reviewed every single chapter. I'm impressed. ;) 


	7. Memory Lost, Memory Found

Chapter 7: Memory Lost, Memory Found  
  
Author's Note: There isn't one this time. *grin*  
  
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Slowly wallowing through the haze into semi-consciousness, Seona opened her eyes a crack and looked around. White. It reminded her of the white-hot pain that had lanced through her entire body, like someone dragging their nails across the black-board of her soul. She shook her head, and immediately thought of a good half dozen reasons why she shouldn't have done that.  
  
What had happened? She remembered stumbling across Draco Malfoy tormenting one of the first years. She had forced him to stop, gotten into an argument with him. He had claimed that it was right for him to do what he did, because the child was only a Muggle-born. Mudblood was the word he had used, a term she had hoped never to hear. And her control had snapped. It wasn't an open-handed slap she delivered, but a solid fist to the jaw. She remembered feeling the crunch of the impact.  
  
She hoped like hell that she'd broken his jaw.  
  
His instant reaction had been to level his wand and her and scream a command she had never heard before. Then her whole world had dissolved into searing agony. She had a vague memory of collapsing to the floor, writhing in pain without any way to stop it. She shuddered, then decided abruptly that she shouldn't do that either. What ever that curse was, it had left her feeling like something had trod on her.  
  
But what had happened then? She had been down in one of the lower corridors, but the proliferation of white suggested that she had been moved into the hospital wing. Frantically scanning her memory, she finally came up with a sharp voice and swirling black robes. There was only one teacher who regularly wandered around Hogwarts looking like a large bat. Now that she had found that scrap of memory she found others linked to it. He had stopped Malfoy with the stupefaction curse, then sent the first year off to find Dumbledore. He had touched her, sending a new symphony of pain through her flesh. She couldn't remember if she had spoken or not, or what he had said to her in response.  
  
Then nothing.  
  
While she considered this, the curtains around the bed opened to admit the matronly form of Madame Pomfrey. Her face brightened when she saw that Seona was awake. "Well, good morning. I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up at all. The last potion I gave you should have worn off an hour ago."  
  
Seona tried to respond, but only managed to produce a vague croak. She licked her lips and tried again. "How long did you keep me drugged?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, as if it didn't quite belong to her.  
  
"Only two days. I wanted to give a chance for your nerves to heal without you having to feel it."  
  
"I think I need another day. At least." Head lolling back against the pillows, she tried to make her body relax. It still felt as though it was stretched to the limit.  
  
"I'll give you a potion for the pain in a moment," the mediwitch assured her. "But you need to start moving your body again or it will get too stiff and you'll have even worse problems." Seona simply sighed in resignation and lay quietly while the woman fussed over her, muttering charms and comments on her progress. The quicker it was over, the quicker she could take something for the pain.  
  
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It was almost two weeks since the ordeal at Halloween. She had been given three days to recover in the hospital wing, then it had been suggested that she should resume her lessons as normal. Since she had finally stopped feeling weak and ill every time someone touched her, she agreed readily enough. It was boring in the hospital, even if her friends came to see her every day after classes finished.  
  
Professor Snape had paid her a visit as well, bringing with him a very downcast Draco Malfoy. Seona's cheeks had burned and her fingers twitched slightly as she imagined fastening them around the boy's neck and squeezing. She held the impulse in check however, as he ground out something that passed for an apology. Snape had glared at him, and he had repeated the phrase with a little more grace before escaping from the room as soon as she had murmured an acceptance. Snape had given her a look that actually seemed to contain a touch of sympathy and informed her that Malfoy had been given two weeks worth of detentions. That had mollified her a little, but it wasn't going to stop her from hating him.  
  
Now she stood at the door to the Headmaster's office and wondered for the hundredth time why he had called her here. Taking a deep breath, she raised a hand and rapped sharply on the wooden panels of the door. A muffled "Come in!" was followed by the door swinging open of its own accord. Steeling herself, she went in and stood politely in front of the huge oak desk.  
  
Dumbledore looked up at her, eyes twinkling behind his spectacles. Well, at least he didn't look angry, she though in relief. He motioned for her to take a seat, then began to speak once she was seated. "First of all, Miss MacGinty, I want you to understand that what I am about to tell you is your own information. You can share it or not as you wish." He was more serious now, and she nodded with some trepidation. He continued, "When you were taken to the hospital wing at Halloween, Madame Pomfrey checked to see if you were under any other curses than the one which Professor Snape heard cast. What she found was not a curse, but a memory charm which had blocked off a part of your mind. After a short discussion, it was decided that we would not remove the memory block until we had spoken with you about it. Do you have any idea when or why such a block would have been placed?"  
  
Somewhat taken aback, Seona frowned and had a quick rummage through her own mind. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "I'm afraid not, Headmaster. Even knowing that it's there, I still can't find any hint of its presence. Which, I suppose, only proves it's doing its job. It would be a fairly shoddy memory block if it didn't block the fact that it was there." She smiled wanly, then added, "But if I ever knew why it was being put there, that knowledge is behind the block as well."  
  
The Headmaster sighed. "That was what I was afraid of. So I give you a choice. You can leave it as it is, or it can be opened. Even in the opening, there is a choice. If you wish, we can carry out the procedure while you are in a state of half-consciousness and then reinstall the block when we are finished. You need never even have to think about it again, because we can also block your memory of finding out about it. Or, we can simply remove the block and allow you to assimilate those memories into your life."  
  
A choice indeed. Seona sat silently for a few moments, weighing up the options. She certainly didn't like the idea of having someone rummage through her memories and reinstall the block. That just wasn't even a valid option. So the question was, did she want to know what was hidden there? Well, the answer to that was simple. Of course she did. Her own natural curiosity wasn't going to let her leave this one alone. She took another deep breath and raised her eyes to meet Dumbledore's.  
  
"Open it. I'll deal with whatever we find."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and pulled out his wand. Pointing it at her head, he began to chant softly as she felt her eyelids growing heavier. She struggled against the invading urge to sleep, but it wasn't long before unconsciousness overtook her.  
  
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She was lying on a couch in a strange room, and her head felt as though it was on fire as she tried to make out her surroundings. "I have to stop waking up like this," she murmured to herself.  
  
For the second time in as many weeks, she tried to reconstruct her last moments of consciousness. She had been called to Dumbledore's office, she remembered. He had told her of a memory block that had been found in her head during her time in hospital. He had asked her what she wished to do about it, and she had decided to have it removed. Then he had cast a spell.  
  
So what about those hidden memories? She turned her attention inwards, looking for anything that hadn't been there before. Everything still seemed to be in order. So what was the big deal? Was it merely some really dull boring fact that she wouldn't notice? She probed deeper.  
  
Abruptly, she sat up with a horrified gasp. The sudden movement turned out to have been a very bad idea, and she slipped from the land of consciousness yet again.  
  
She awoke to see Dumbledore peering down at her in concern. She was dimly aware that she couldn't have been out for long, since Madame Pomfrey wasn't in evidence. But this detail was drowned in the huge flood of horror and loathing that now filled her. She turned pleading eyes on Dumbledore as she clutched at his robes in panic. "What have I done?" It was a whisper. It was a plea. It begged the world to tell her she was wrong, that it was all a cruel joke.  
  
The Headmaster's eyes were sad and filled with sympathy. "It could not be helped," he replied in a voice filled with gentleness and understanding. "And now you have people who can help you. Now, sleep for a while. Sleep without dreams." He held a vial to her lips and she barely managed to choke down the mixture. Within moments, she found blessed oblivion.  
  
  
  
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REVIEWERS TRIBUTE:  
  
Many thanks go to:  
  
Beth the Fox - Yay! *giggle* I made someone scream! Glad you like it. :)  
  
Skyfire - Here's the next one.  
  
Atropos - I agree... he is a pleasant and attractive person... Oh, wait! I don't think that was quite what you meant.... *grin*  
  
Melanie C - Good question. And hey, I'm just chuffed that someone actually takes the time to comment on every single chapter! :)  
  
Little Miss Insane - Well, all shall soon be revealed... maybe.  
  
Sarah - It's a challenge to write well for a good 'bad guy', but the best part is that you CAN show so many sides to them.  
  
Morbane - Not really the enemy here (at least, not intentionally), but I figure they'd be unlikely to get along very well. If nothing else, there's the house rivalry and the fact that Snape tends to pick on Gryffindors.  
  
Saotomealita - Here's more. :)  
  
Vexus - Thanks. It's good to get confirmation that I am actually keeping them in character.  
  
kaori - Well, they certainly won't 'do stuff' for quite some time yet. But I promise you'll have plenty of warning.  
  
Kudra - Oh, she has them. She just didn't know about them until now. *grin* 


	8. Discussions in the Dungeons

Chapter 8: Discussions in the Dungeons  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Major apologies that it took me so long to get this chapter out. It has been written and re-written at least four times, and I'm still not 100% happy with how it turned out. But I've finally decided that this is the best it's going to get (in this century, anyhow) so it's getting posted. *grin*  
  
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Head bowed, deep in thought, Snape made his way down to his quarters. There had been a short meeting of all the staff, during which Dumbledore had informed them that he had removed the memory block from Seona MacGinty and that what it had revealed had upset her quite badly. They were all to watch out for any signs of abnormal behaviour, etcetera, etcetera.  
  
Just like that. No explanation of what it was that had upset her so much, although the old wizard undoubtedly knew. To make matters worse, the daft old fool had left abruptly when the meeting ended, giving no opportunity for anyone to ask questions. It was still two days before their scheduled advanced potions class, so he would have to wait until then to talk with her privately. Of course, he could always go and find her now and ask... He allowed himself a small smile at the uproar his arrival in the Gryffindor common room would cause. No, he would have to wait until Saturday.  
  
His musings had carried him to the secret door that hid his quarters. His own natural caution made him pause before he reached for the catch that opened it, and in the silence he heard a muffled sound coming from further down the corridor. Wondering who would be down here at this hour, he turned and began walking quietly towards it.  
  
Tracing the sound to an alcove that was sometimes occupied by one of the castle's many suits of armour, he peered into it and found that it was now inhabited by the very student who had been occupying his thoughts moments before. She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, arms wrapped around them and head resting on her knees. Her long hair hung around her in an almost solid curtain and contributed somewhat to the muffling of her sobbing. Standing there looking at her, Snape felt a stab of pity for whatever it was that had tormented her to the point where she felt she had to hide in the darkness and cry.  
  
Kneeling carefully in front of her, he reached out a hand and touched her arm. She started violently, looking up with wild panic plain on her face. In hindsight, he realised he should have announced his presence before touching her, since she obviously wasn't in a position to notice much of the environment around her. She had relaxed a bit as she recognised him, and now looked at him with eyes that held a mixture of sorrow and embarrassment. Softly, voice breaking, she murmured, "I didn't think anyone would be down here this late."  
  
"My rooms are down here." He mentally cursed himself for sounding so abrupt, but she didn't seem to have noticed. How did you go about comforting someone, anyway? It had been a very long time since he had dealt with anyone on such a personal level, but he knew that he couldn't just send her back to her dorm. He would just have to hope for the best, he decided. Reaching out again, he took her hand and tugged it gently. "Come, I'll get you something to drink. You will need it if you've been crying for a while."  
  
She rose shakily and followed him back down the corridor. Her feet dragged listlessly against the stone floor, and her whole body seemed to have drawn in upon itself. Snape remembered feeling like that himself many years ago, he reflected as he opened the door to his rooms and led the girl to the couch in front of the fire. The house elves had been in again, he noted absently. For once he wasn't going to complain.  
  
As he made a pot of tea for them, he remarked, "The Headmaster said that he had removed the block from your memory. He said you might be upset by it, but I don't think he had any idea you were this upset." His hand hovered briefly over a calming potion, but he decided to wait. It might do her more good to talk about it.  
  
He was rewarded with a sniffle and a quiet, "No one knew. I came down here so that no one would know." She was sitting staring into the flames, but looked up with a haunted expression as he moved to sit beside her with the tea. "Have you ever woken up, Professor, and realised that you've done something so terrible that you can never forgive yourself?"  
  
"Yes." He spoke softly, but she jerked back as if he had shouted at her. That obviously wasn't an answer she had expected. Maybe this was the way to help her deal with it all: letting her know that she wasn't alone in feeling this way. He baulked for a moment at the thought of sharing his past with someone. Yet he knew somehow, on some strange level, that she wouldn't betray his confidence. Besides, it might be good to talk about it himself. "I caused the deaths of a great many people, both directly and indirectly," he continued. "I was never entirely comfortable with it, but I was always able to find justification in my own mind that it was right and just. But it kept getting harder to find those justifications, and finally I realised that I had been very wrong. It hadn't been right for those people to die. I had been in a position where I could have stopped it, but I did nothing."  
  
"Did you hate yourself?" she asked quietly. He nodded. She appeared to think for a moment, then she spoke again in a voice that was thick with pent-up tears. "Did you want to die too?"  
  
This was a serious question, and he gave it due consideration. He needed to be careful here, or he might end up with another death on his hands. The pain and self-loathing in her voice was something he had never thought to hear from someone so young. Finally he replied, "Sometimes, yes. Sometimes it's hard not to think that it would be so easy if you could just stop. But that won't fix anything. That won't bring anyone else back. I came here instead. I spoke with Albus Dumbledore and told him what I had done. He helped me find ways in which I could make up for what I did, and what I failed to do." He fell silent, waiting to see what her reaction to this would be.  
  
It turned out to be a single sentence in a voice that was as flat an emotionless as any he had ever heard: "I've killed lots of people, too."  
  
Snape sat in stunned silence for a moment, trying to find an appropriate response to this. At last he settled for the safe, "Do you want to tell me about it?"  
  
She simply sat and stared at the fire for a few minutes. The silence stretched out until he considered speaking again just to make sure she was still aware of her surroundings, but she began to speak quietly. "It was during the summer break. I'd been spending a few weeks with this guy I knew from school. He'd just graduated and was all set to take up some high- flying job with the Australian Ministry of Magic. He was brilliant, he was handsome, and he said he was in love with me. He made all these promises, about how he'd make enough of a name for himself that he'd get quick promotions and by the time I graduated he'd have enough money to keep us both living really well, how he'd marry me and we'd have a grand house and all of that sort of thing. I believed him.  
  
"Technically there were a bunch of people on this holiday, mainly friends from his year, one or two from mine. We were staying at his parent's country house... they were fairly well off themselves. He and I managed to slip off for a few days by ourselves to a little cottage at the edge of the property. He said he wanted to show me something. He'd gotten hold of these old books, he said. There were secrets in them that could give us anything we wanted, but he didn't know how to read them. He knew I was always reading, and that I knew a whole bunch of old languages well enough to puzzle them out, so he wanted me to try and translate these old spells.  
  
"I was flattered, naturally. I agreed to try. And I did. Even though just touching those books gave me an uncomfortable feeling, but I wanted to please him. And it did please him when I managed to make sense of them, a bit at a time. After a few days we'd managed to get through most of the work he'd collected. I didn't fully understand what most of it meant, but I had the feeling that it wasn't the sort of thing I ought to be involved with. Yet I didn't want to not be involved, because it was making him so proud of me, that I could help him this way. So proud...  
  
"Finally he said that we should try some of the spells, just to see if we have translated them correctly. He wanted me to try one, said that I was such a good witch that it couldn't possibly go wrong. I didn't want to try, but he insisted. He held me and kissed me and told me everything would turn out OK. He just wanted me to try casting this one spell on our friends in the main house, just for laughs, then I wouldn't have to do any more if I didn't want to. I believed him, and I agreed to do it.  
  
"It was a very complicated spell he had chosen. I almost wasn't surprised that he had asked me to test it instead of him, because if I was being honest with myself I was actually better than him at this sort of magic. So we stood on the hill behind the house and I began to recite the words. I was only halfway through when I realised exactly what sort of spell this was. No, not spell. Curse. It was a curse the like of which I'd never even dreamed existed. Little surprise it was so complex. You wouldn't want someone to just be able to snap it off in an instant. I wanted to stop, but I could feel a build up of power and I wasn't sure if I could stop, or what would happen if I did. So I finished it."  
  
Her voice had slowly risen over the course of her recitation, starting low and detached and working its way up to something just short of hysterical. Now Snape could only stare at her in shock as she broke off and buried her face in her hands, sobbing wildly. What sort of curse was this that she had found? He pushed the thought away and turned his attention back to the girl beside him. What was he supposed to do now? Awkwardly he reached out and put and arm around her shoulders, barely stifling a gasp of surprise when she turned in towards him and buried her face in his shoulder.  
  
It felt strange to sit there and let her cry against him. He tried to keep his mind detached from what was happening, reminding himself that she was a student, and a Gryffindor at that, and therefore none of his concern. Yet in a strange way, it was his concern. He'd grown to respect her, both for her quick mind and the easygoing way she had of assuming that he was a person worth being nice to. To be perfectly honest with himself, he thought wryly, he'd also grown to enjoy her company. She had an almost uncanny ability to find just the right response to his sarcasm that caused him to really have to think fast to come back to. It had been far too long since anyone had made him stretch himself that way.  
  
Her sobs had quieted now, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry to pull away so he let her stay where she was. Soon enough she would have to return to her classmates, people who couldn't possibly hope to understand what she had gone through. Let he take what comfort she could. It was something he could have done with himself, in the days following his realisation of the atrocities he had permitted and been involved in. And, in an odd way, comforting her was also comforting him.  
  
He wasn't sure how long they sat there, but the fire had burned low by the time he looked down and found that his charge had drifted off to sleep. He frowned slightly. Now what? He really ought to wake her and send her back to the tower, but would that be the best course under the circumstances? He doubted that the horror of the memories she had found was going to have disappeared already, so in all probability she wouldn't be able to sleep. Even that potion wouldn't be likely to help.  
  
Snape carefully slid away from her, laying her gently on the couch where he had been sitting. Covering her with the rug that was draped over his armchair, he stood back and watched her for a moment. She looked peaceful, the lines of distress and pain smoothed away in sleep. Only the tear- stained blotchiness of her cheeks gave any hint to what had happened earlier in the night. With the sadness of having been in this position himself, he knew that it would probably get worse for her before it got better.  
  
"Poor child," he whispered softly. Shaking his head, he made his way into the adjoining bedroom to seek his own bed.  
  
  
  
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REVIEWERS TRIBUTE:  
  
Many Thanks to:  
  
Kawaii Phe chan  
  
Skyfire - OK, I took pity and made this one fairly self-explanetory (I think).  
  
Caytebelle  
  
Little Miss Insane - Dare you to say it's funny now... *grin*  
  
Melanie C - This is probably the most difficult chapter I've written to date. *sigh*  
  
AniMourner  
  
Beth the Fox - OK, I did.  
  
LupinLover  
  
Zephyrel 


	9. The Morning After

Chapter 9: The Morning After  
  
Author's Note: This chapter is absolutely NOT dedicated to the two banes of my existence: writers block and real life. When one wasn't plaguing me, the other was. I'm not a naturally angsty person, so it's difficult to write this and still make it believable. I hope I did OK.  
  
Just out of curiosity, is anyone still reading this? It's been a while, I know (about a year, almost), and I'd like to know if I'm chattering to myself here.  
  
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It was a strange awakening, feeling something pressed along the length of her back. Seona lay for a moment with her eyes closed, trying to recall what had happened the night before. She had grown edgy with the acting, putting on a cheerful face around her friends so that they wouldn't ask her what was wrong. They'd despise her if they knew, she was sure of it. So she had said she was going to bed early but had slipped down to the dungeons to vent in private. It had been an odd sort of release, sitting in the darkness with her head on her knees as she sobbed in anger and frustration, and she wasn't sure that it had made her feel any better.  
  
Then Professor Snape had found her. Brought her into his rooms and made her tea. She had told him everything! She sat up with a start, looking around wildly. She was still in his sitting room, lying on the couch with a blanket over her. How considerate of him. But where was he? Would he tell anyone?  
  
INo,/I an inner voice counselled. He had told her things about his own past as well, things that had been hinted at when she had cautiously questioned her friends about him, but things which didn't seem as evil as they made it seem. He was just like her, he'd shown her: someone who was led to believe they were doing the right thing and only realised later that it was the wrongest thing imaginable. He wouldn't tell anyone what she had said.  
  
Now that she was over her panic, she could hear running water from the next room. A glance at the clock on the mantle showed her that it was still early, so she settled back to wait for him to emerge. It was quite a comfortable room, she noticed. Quite at odds with the stern and forbidding Potions Master. She couldn't help smiling slightly. Perhaps he had a reason for cultivating that image - it made a good shield.  
  
The sound of a door opening startled her out of her musings and she turned to find the man himself emerging from the door set in the far wall. He was already dressed and was running his fingers through damp hair. He lips twitched into something approaching a smile as he saw her. "So, I was afraid I would have to wake you after all. You slept well? No dreams?"  
  
She smiled gratefully at him, appreciating the way that he tried to find the information without asking so directly that it might upset her again. "Not that I recall," she replied. "I suppose that's a good sign. I tend to remember the bad ones." She shivered slightly. "Thank you for taking care of me last night," she added in a soft voice. She still wasn't sure exactly what she felt about that episode, but this wasn't the place or time to examine those memories either. "I appreciate your listening without judging."  
  
"It would be rather a case of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think?" was his amused rejoinder. "But I'm glad that I was able to help, so you are welcome. You are also going to be late, and your friends will wonder where you are. I do not think it would be... wise... for a search party to form and find you here."  
  
She couldn't help chuckling softly as she rose and folded the blanket neatly at the end of the couch. "True." Her mood turned sombre again as she contemplated another day of pretending that nothing was wrong. She looked up at Snape cautiously, wondering if he would think it beneath him to play the role she wanted - no, needed - to ask of him. Timidly, she asked, "Might I come and see you in the evenings sometimes? When it gets too hard to pretend..." She trailed off, then added, "I promise I won't fall asleep on your couch again, if that helps."  
  
His whole face softened. It wasn't a smile, as such, but a relaxing of all the lines and muscles that were normally held rigid. "I can't promise that I will always be here," he replied softly, "But if I am and you need to talk, then I am at your disposal." He paused for a moment, then added, "As is the couch, if you really need it."  
  
He kept doing this, throwing her completely bland lines that nevertheless suggested that he was secretly laughing. She chuckled appreciatively. "Thank you, Professor," she said with a warm smile. "You've been a big help." She turned towards the door, knowing that she would have to move quickly and carefully if she was to return to her room unnoticed.  
  
It was strange that she felt so much better this morning. Perhaps it had been talking about it, but more than that she felt it was because she knew there was at least one person here who understood and wasn't going to push her away for what she had been led into doing. A small smile on her lips, she closed the door quietly behind her and flitted along the silent corridors towards the Gryffindor tower.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next weeks passed quickly at Hogwarts. Seona played the role she needed by day, managing to convince everyone that she had dealt with whatever had happened to her and was getting on with her life.  
  
Well, almost everyone. She often slipped out of the tower at night and sought Professor Snape out for a quiet talk. It wasn't always about what had happened to either of them - often they spoke about the work he had allowed her to help him with during their weekly meetings. It helped keep her mind off things, and it was oddly soothing to sit curled up in his armchair with a cup of tea while they debated the use of various components.  
  
There had been one small change, however: Draco Malfoy now kept his distance and no longer sought her and her friends out to make trouble for them. This was fine by her, as she still harboured some considerable resentment against the blonde Slytherin, but it was still curious that he should avoid contact as much as he did. It was almost Christmas before she finally decided to broach the subject with Snape one Saturday afternoon.  
  
"Professor, what did happen to Malfoy? I know you said something about him being punished, but he won't come anywhere near me now. Not that I have a problem with that mind you, but..." She looked up at him curiously.  
  
Snape's eyes had hardened and the tightness along the line of his jaw betrayed the effort he made to keep his voice even as he replied, "Young Malfoy is, unfortunately, too young to be fully punished for what he did. While he is at school, he is regarded as a child still and therefore is not allowed to be sent to Azkaban." Seeing her confused expression, he clarified, "The high security wizarding prison here in Britain. It is guarded by Dementors."  
  
She shuddered. She had read about those strange creatures, and the thought of being sent to stay in a place containing many of them was truly horrifying. Still, "I wish Malfoy has waited until the end of next year," she said with passion.  
  
"You aren't the only one." His voice was slightly bitter as he added, "Add to that the fact that his father is rather influential... He is, however, being investigated. Draco refused to say where he had learned to perform one of the Unforgivable Curses, but there is considerable speculation by certain departments in the Ministry. Those that Lucius doesn't have in his pocket, anyway."  
  
"Ah, the joy of being a rich bugger," she said, voice heavy wit irony. Snape snorted as he returned to his work.  
  
"Draco Malfoy had been punished as well as we are able to here," he told her quietly. "The public knowledge is that he was given two weeks detention for casting a harmful curse on a fellow student. It has been unspecified what that was, and given the private punishments that he has been forced to deal with it is likely that he would prefer the whole matter to fade from student memory. I would guess that would be to your mutual benefit."  
  
Seona shrugged. "True. I'd still like to strangle the little..." She bit off the end of that sentence, abruptly remembering that for all their good working relationship, she was still addressing a teacher. One that she had considerable respect for, at that. He snorted again, however, and a slight twitch at the corners of his lips suggested that he knew exactly the sentiment she was on the verge of expressing. Hiding her own smile, she returned to her own tasks. With any luck, they would have enough preparation done to make an initial trial of the brew after the Christmas break.  
  
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REVIEWERS TRIBUTE: (just in case any of you are still going to read this)  
  
Many thanks to the following people who let me know they liked the last chapter:  
  
LadyMoon  
  
Skyfire - Well, hope you're as happy with this as you were with the last, even if it did take me an awful lot longer to write. :) Did you ever get any feedback from your friend?  
  
DragonRider Mage - I wrote the last chapter before I had read the 4th book, so while I knew of some things (like the existence of that curse) but not the full story. I have tried to remedy that. Hope it worked.  
  
Little Miss Insane - *grin* Oh, I am indeed. Glad you liked it enough to be speechless.  
  
Zephyrel - Thanks. I'm trying hard to keep him in character, but it isn't always easy.  
  
Martian Aries  
  
Outcast125 - Well, it may not have been soon, but I got there eventually.  
  
Memnet - Thanks. :) 


	10. An Apology and an Explanation

An Explanation and an Apology --------------------------------------  
  
Well, this story has been on hiatus for quite some time - almost a year. I tried to revive it, but too much water has passed under the bridge. I've changed, my writing style has changed, and my satisfaction with the story has disappeared.  
  
In addition, I read back over it and I see how much it diverged from my original intentions. One reason for this (probably the main reason for this) is because I did absolutely zero planning when I started. I had an idea of the character I was creating, I had an idea for some basic scenes and events, and I just pointed myself towards the end and went for it. As a result, the story wandered and the characters wandered, and I'm just not having fun with it.  
  
So I've gone back to my original idea, and planned the story from beginning to end. I've planned the character properly, so hopefully she'll seem a little more consistent (one can only hope). I have started a new story working to this plan, and I'm hoping it will be enjoyable for all of us. Seona has been given a resurrection, because I rather like the character (and the name). Some of the basic story elements have been reused but given an overhaul to make them all bright and shiny and new. Apologies to anyone who reads some of the early parts of the story and feels like they've been here before, but the early parts had less divergence from my original idea so they've been recycled. :)  
  
I give a huge amount of thanks to my readers who have been with me on this journey. Your comments have given me encouragement and ideas, and I like to think that my story has given you something in return. I guess it must have, or you wouldn't have bothered writing to me, right? So you are now cordially invited to read the new story, which is called "Between the Darkness and the Deep". To read it, go into my profile and link to it there (I can't seem to make the link work in here).  
  
Cheers,  
  
Sev's Girl 


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